Hole 1166A
Hole 1166 was spudded with the RCB at 0745 hr on 16 February.
Continuous RCB coring proceeded to a depth of 199.5 mbsf, when the
passage of a significant low-pressure system led to a deterioration of
weather conditions and sea state. Drilling operations were halted at 2130
hr on 17 February because shallow-water operating guidelines were in
effect limiting our operating environment to <2 m heave and wind gusts of
<40 kt. When an iceberg reached to within a distance of 0.6 nmi, the
decision was made to pull the drill string clear of the seafloor. A FFF
could not be deployed because of the hard seafloor. The drill string was
raised to a safe height and the vessel was offset 1.0 nmi, allowing the
iceberg to move directly over the vacated drill site. As the iceberg and the
low-pressure cell moved across Site 1166, conditions had improved
enough by 0630 hr on 19 February to deploy the subsea camera and reenter
Hole 1166A. The reentry operation took a mere 13 min without the aid of a
guide cone or funnel. A total of 38 hr was lost because of the storm.

The reentry showed that the seafloor was 6.7 m higher than identified by
the driller's blind tag with the bit at the start of the hole. Observations
with the television camera showed a seafloor depth of 480.0 m.
Continuous RCB coring resumed and continued to a depth of 381.3 mbsf.
Overall recovery for the hole was 18.6%.

In preparation for logging the bit was released, the hole was displaced
with sepiolite logging mud, and the drill string was tripped to the logging
depth of 41.2 mbsf. The hole was logged with a full suite of sensors
(seismostratigraphic suite, lithoporosity suite, FMS suite, and the
geological high-sensitivity magnetic tool) from 41.2 to 377.3 mbsf. All
logging runs were successful. By 0745 hr on 21 February, the logging
sheaves had been rigged down and the wireline logging program was
completed.

The hole was abandoned with a 21.5-bbl plug of cement, and the drill pipe
was pulled clear of the seafloor and tripped back to the ship. At 1600 hr
on 21 February, the rotary table was clear, ending Hole 1166A.

Hole 1166B
Hole 1166B was planned as a test of the measurement- and
logging-while-drilling (M/LWD) tools. This included the transmission of
data in real time by using a downhole turbine-driven mud pulsing unit.

The drill string was tripped to bottom, and Hole 1166B was spudded at
0020 hr on 22 February. The seafloor depth was determined to be 480.0
mbsf, and the first hard layer was contacted at 485 mbsf. Drilling
proceeded very slowly for the first 25 m. Very little weight could be put
on the drill string until at least the M/LWD tools were buried beneath the
seafloor. The hole was terminated at a depth of 42.5 m because the
objectives of the test had been met and the ability to pulse back data in
real time was confirmed.

The hole was displaced with heavy mud, and the drill pipe was pulled clear
of the seafloor by 1020 hr. The beacon was released and recovered aboard
at 1050 hr. The pipe was back aboard ship and the M/LWD tools rigged
down by 1330 hr on 22 February, and the JOIDES Resolution was under way
for the final site of Leg 188.